FC Barcelona 'smiles'! Frenkie de Jong finally returns to training

It's not all bad news for FC Barcelona on this Monday, September 16. While, on one hand, they confirmed the regrettable injury of Dani Olmo, who will be out for four to five weeks due to a hamstring injury in his right leg, on the other hand, it was announced that one of the players who has been injured for some time has returned to training.

For the fortune of the Blaugrana team, Frenkie de Jong, one of the most severe injury cases, this Monday participated in part of the training session with the group. This work session was more focused on recovery and compensation after the match played on Sunday against Girona, which the Culés resolved with a resounding 4-1 victory against the Girona team.

It is worth noting that the Dutchman is recovering from a severe Grade II ankle sprain in his right ankle, suffered on April 21 during the Clásico against Real Madrid after a challenge with Real Madrid midfielder, Federico Valverde. This setback has had a notably prolonged recovery, raising alarms at Can Barça. Why? Beyond the fact that De Jong's recovery process has become quite slow, it's also essential to consider that the injury occurred in an area where Frenkie de Jong had already experienced two setbacks in the 2023/24 season.

The return of Frenkie de Jong, a relief for FC Barcelona

Now, after the Dutchman has trained alone for some days and shown good signs, he has finally joined the working group at the Camp Tito Vilanova in the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. This signals the beginning of De Jong's return to action with FC Barcelona, which is undoubtedly good news, especially when the team needs reinforcements in the midfield.

Frenkie de Jong is part of the training with the group! 💪 pic.twitter.com/pDxHkftidR

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) September 16, 2024

At the moment, it doesn't seem that his return will be rushed, so it is expected that, similar to recent cases like Ansu Fati or Pablo Gavi, he will gradually integrate into training sessions. Therefore, he is not expected to be called up for the match against AS Monaco in the Champions League (09/19).

Depending on his feelings, his call-up for the match against Villarreal CF in LaLiga EA Sports (09/22) could be considered. However, as always, everything will depend on how the upcoming training sessions progress and how the Dutchman feels when returning to the usual dynamics of the game, considering he hasn't played a match in five months.